History of Garagoa

called garaguas . In 1539 when the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and having held a Muequeta and Bacatá news references had Indians domain Zipa of the famous mines of emerald of Somondoco , cacique owned sumindoco . Undertook the expedition northward through  Guatavita ,  Sesquilé , Chocontá and Turmequé . In this population Jimenez de Quesada remained some days and from there sent Captain Pedro Fernandez de Valenzuela to note precise jewel coveted by the Spanish. Fernandez returned with a favorable report. Quesada went in search of mines and stumbled on the road with some Indian villages as Boyacá , Tibana and Tenza . From there they headed Garagoa and Obeita finally, where they stopped, for being close to the emerald mines.

Colony

In 1556 began the parents arrived Dominicans and began spreading the Catholic religion . In 1604 was introduced in the first Somondoco receipt of Tenza Valley and indigenous groups of teguas, the chirimitas and were assigned to Garagoa guanecas. In1635 we have the first reference to the charge of Garagoa, with 116 native natives attached.

Boyacense historian Basil Vicente de Oviedo , wrote a book in the year 1763 entitled: Qualities and riches of the New Kingdom of Granada . In the reference work in this paragraph on Garagoa there: 3

"The people of Garagoa parish, the village of Tenza, two days distant from Tunja to the way to the plains of San Juan and two short days of Santa Fe